ABOUT RICHARD BOIS

Owner/Operator Richard Bois, left

Richard Bois holds a Civil Engineering Degree from the University of Maine, Orono. Having grown up in Wells, Maine, Richard spent countless hours as a young adult in the "old Swenson" quarry, now Millennium Granite Quarry and Stoneworks. Long fascinated by both granite mining and the beauty and mystique of the quarry itself, Richard purchased the quarry in 2000. Perhaps an article from Portland Press Herald, 2005, best sums up Richard and his quarry today:

As a boy growing up near the old Swenson quarry, Richard Bois spent many summer days jumping off the high granite cliffs into the cool, green water below.

Now Bois walks around the same quarry with a professional eye on the tons of stone that sits all over the 100 acre property. Where one person sees a pile of rocks, he sees a set of stairs or maybe even a birdbath.

Yes, the quarry is back open for business and Bois, a civil engineer by trade is banking on a resurgent market for Maine granite to fuel its comeback.

Bois bought the property 13 years ago and began moving granite about 10 years ago. He is using the tons of stone that were cast off in earlier excavations. Bois and his staff cut, deliver and install the stones.

"It’s one of those things you don’t imagine you’ll end up doing," Bois said of his new vocation as a quarryman and owner of Millennium Granite Quarry and Stoneworks.

But as Bois walks around the quarry and points out the rich history of the site and the uniqueness of the boulders scattered around, it is clear he is having a ball.

"It beats sitting at a desk," he said with a grin.

The site, first mined more than 300 years ago, was once a very active quarry. Before it fell dormant in the 1970s, the quarry’s granite was of such high quality that it was used in some famous buildings and monuments around the country.

Granite taken from Bois’ quarry can be found in the Tomb of the Unknown Solidier in Arlington National Cemetery, and in the famed Tiffany’s building on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Maine has a number of inactive quarries like Millennium quarry, said state geologist Robert Marvinney. "Just about anywhere you can go… there’s probably a small quarry back in the woods,” he said. "Maine’s quarries had their heyday in the late 18th and early 19th centuries", Marvinney said. One of the advantages for Maine Quarries was their proximity to the coast, which made transportation easier. Maine’s granite is also unique because of its pink color, for which landscape architects are seeing increasing demand. Terrence Parker, owner of TerraFirma Landscape Architecture in Portsmouth, N.H., said, "granite has never really gone out of style as a landscape material."

"People use it for granite steps, wall capstones, edging for driveways and gardens, and paving," he said. "(Maine granite) has more texture and range of color. The color is unusual and exceptional."

Bois said concrete was the building material of choice in the 1970’s. "But people are tired of concrete," he said, "and want building materials with personality and character, like stone."

Bois said he hopes to begin excavating granite from the quarry again, but has plenty of stone to keep him occupied for now. Plus, he added with another smile, “I never get tired of this place."